CHAMPYONS

Champyons is a 3-piece band and producer collective based in Berlin. Mixing traditional song and sample-driven beat-making, Champyons incorporates RnB, Rock and electronic elements into a collage of popular culture and musical references that transcends classic genre definitions. Their style is particularly defined by a mix of 70s-informed instrumentation and modern production elements centered around singer Kptn’s distinctive voice. Now only in their mid-20s, Champyons go back more than 15 years. Starting out as a school band in their early teenage years, the trio composed of Kptn (vocals/ keys), Flx (bass/ guitar) and Tweety (drums) soon started writing original songs and, by the age of 16, had already gathered a good deal of professional recording studio experience. After graduating from high school and touring with British breakthrough acts Metronomy and Scanners, the trio rented their own apartment to live together and work on new material. The co-living was highly fruitful, resulting in hundreds of song demos and countless production sketches that helped the trio develop their sonic identity. Subsequently, Champyons engaged in further studio collaborations with distinguished producers Henrik Menzel and Zebo Adam (Bilderbuch). In 2011, the group received international attention for the first time when their song “Changes” was remixed by EDM-heavyweight Zedd for Skrillex’ “Free Treats” EP. In the following years, Champyons set out to travel and delve into the international music scene, moving around between Europe, New York City and London, UK. While laptop producing in distant places, trains and airplanes, their sound evolved, with the band leaving their rock roots behind and gravitating more and more towards sample-cutting, drum-looping and experimental songwriting. In 2014, while in London, Champyons self-released their single “Roaming in Paris” to considerable international attention. The song marked a stepping stone in their creative evolution, combining classic storytelling à la Leonhard Cohen with smooth contemporary RnB elements. Settling in the vibrant musical landscape of Berlin the year after, they signed a record deal with Berlin-based label Embassy of Music and consequentially started working on their first LP in 2016. For the album creation process, Champyons decided to be fully self-reliant, and to engineer and produce their debut record all by themselves. Building their own custom studio from scratch left them maximum room for experimentation and helped them develop as producers in their own right. Along with renowned engineer and producer Axel Reinemer (Rihanna, Jason Derulo, Jazzanova) the album mix was completed in mid-2017. At the same time, the trio teamed up with high-profile contemporary artist Michael Sailstorfer who started contributing iconic sculptures as the band’s visual trademark. Following the release of their track “Dusty” – a seamless blend of classic Charles Aznavour string-samples and Autotune-informed vocals – the band are gearing up for their first full length-release. Their debut album “CHA CHA CHA” is scheduled to arrive in early 2018.